s naturally
delighted with the idea of an elopement.

"To where will we elope to?" she demanded. Her English, as she learned
it from Billy, was sometimes confusing.

"To New York," said Billy. "On the voyage there I will put you in charge
of the stewardess and the captain; and there isn't a captain on the
Royal Dutch or the Atlas that hasn't known you since you were a baby.
And as soon as we dock we'll drive straight to the city hall for a
license and the mayor himself will marry us. Then I'll get back my old
job from the Wilmot folks and we'll live happy ever after!"

"In New York, also," asked Claire proudly, "are you directeur of the
electric lights?"

"On Broadway alone," Billy explained reprovingly, "there is one sign
that uses more bulbs than there are in the whole of Hayti!"

"New York is a large town!" exclaimed Claire.

"It's a large sign," corrected Billy. "But," he pointed out, "with no
money we'll never see it. So to-morrow I'm going to make a social call
on Grandpa Ham and demand my ten thousand francs." Claire grasped his
arm.

"Be careful," she pleaded. "Remember the chicken soup. If he offers you
the champagne, refuse it!"

"He won't offer me the champagne," Billy assured her. "It won't be that
kind of a call."

Billy left the Cafe Ducrot and made his way to the water-front. He was
expecting some electrical supplies by the PRINZ DER NEDERLANDEN, and she
had already come to anchor.

He was late, and save for a group of his countrymen, who with the
customs officials were having troubles of their own, the customs shed
was all but deserted. Billy saw his freight cleared and was going away
when one of those in trouble signalled for assistance.

He was a good-looking young man in a Panama hat and his manner seemed
to take it for granted that Billy knew who he was. "They want us to pay
duty on our trunks," he explained, "and we want to leave them in bond.
We'll be here only until to-night, when we're going on down the coast
to Santo Domingo. But we don't speak French, and we can't make them
understand that."

"You don't need to speak any language to give a man ten dollars," said
Billy.

"Oh!" exclaimed the man in the Panama. "I was afraid if I tried that
they might arrest us."

"They may arrest you if you don't," said Billy. Acting both as
interpreter and disbursing agent, Billy satisfied the demands of
his fellow employees of the government, and his fellow countrymen he
directed to the Hote